Whatley v. American Life & Accident Ins
Whatley v. American Life & Accident Ins
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
The question presented involves the construction of a clause in a policy of insurance, . insuring the son of the plaintiff in error against loss from accident and also carrying provision for the payment of a sum for. the death of the .insured. The hill of particular’s alleges, that “the .insured .met-his accidental death by being assaulted,. beaten and stabbed in the. chest and ab.do-. men at the hands' of one Oscar Fair, and as a direct result thereof died on the 2nd., day of August, .1.933.”. ' ......
The answer alleges, .that the .policy prp,-..
.Tlie.reply admitted that the insured died by reason of stab wounds, and denied that the insured died of stab wounds while in violation of law:
Under the pleadings, the plaintiff in error was entitled only to judgment for the amount -of the tender and proper interest, which not having been paid into court threw the costs against t-he^ defendant in error. See'the decision 'in Hays v Briiggenr-n, No 43.17, of even date herewith.
The language of the policy is clear and unambiguous,- limiting to one-fourth the normal insurance in any case in which death results from a stab wound. . The language ifeed does not make it necessary for the company to prove .also that the insured was violating the law when wounded. The language used employs the disjunctive.
Tire judgment will be-modified as to costs and juterest, and as so modified will be affirmed, . .....
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.